LoZ: After the Storm
by redshirt42
Summary: Set in the aftermath of a slightly altered version of the events depicted by LoZ: Ocarina of Time, this story explores one possible future of a traumatized nation and what happens when a hero outlives his usefulness.
1. Beginning with the End

**Chapter 1: Beginning with the End**

The sky tore open with an ear-splitting crack, like a peal of thunder multiplied a thousand fold. The gigantic beast Ganon, formerly the wily desert king of the Gerudo tribe, staggered backwards, the glowing Master Sword projecting from its skull. Its scream rent the air; even in its death throes, its voice resonated with power and strange harmonics.

"YOU!" it shrieked, as light from the atmospheric crevice began to envelop its hulking form. "CURSE YOU... ZELDA! CURSE YOU… SAGES! CURSE YOU… LINK!" The beast seemed to regain some composure, some semblance of the intelligence it held prior to its transformation. It pulled the Master Sword from its forehead and cast it onto the ground, glaring at the two figures before it with a gaze of intense hatred. "Someday… When this seal is broken… That is when I will exterminate your descendants! As long as the Triforce of Power is in my hand…" before it could finish, the fissure snapped shut, the monster trapped within.

Link dropped to his hands and knees, panting. Blood had already begun to pool beneath him, staining his torn forest-green tunic as it dripped from the dozens of lacerations which covered his body.

"Link!" Zelda's voice called out to him, but it seemed distant, faint. His vision began to blur even as he saw her running towards him. A feeling of weightlessness, accompanied by a wave of nausea, washed over him as he pitched forwards onto the ground.

Suddenly, Link was on his feet, his flesh whole, his mind clear. Blue sky and white, fluffy clouds were all he could see in any direction; he seemed to be standing on solid ground, yet there was nothing beneath him.

"Thank you, Link…" Hearing Zelda's soft, melodic voice, Link looked up to see her standing before him. To his eyes, she appeared transformed. The tattered dress she had worn in the aftermath of the battle with Ganon had been replaced by fine silk of unearthly quality, draped in such a way as to accentuate both her majesty and her considerable beauty. Her elbow-length lace gloves were whiter than fresh snow; the polished gold pauldrons which decorated her shoulders shone with unsurpassed radiance. Her skin seemed to glow.

"Thanks to you, Ganondorf has been sealed inside the Evil Realm!" she continued. "Thus, peace will once again reign in this world… for a time." The princess's gaze fell as she clenched a fist over her heart. "All the tragedy that has befallen Hyrule was my doing… I was so young… I could not comprehend the consequences of trying to control the Sacred Realm. I dragged you into it, too. Now it is time for me to make up for my mistakes. You must lay the Master Sword to rest and close the Door of Time… However, by doing this, the road between times will be closed." A tear escaped the corner of her eye and streaked down her face. Zelda lifted her head, stared into Link's eyes, and held her hand out toward him. Though she tried to conceal it, Link could clearly see the sorrow in her face. "Link, give the ocarina to me… As a sage, I can return you to your original time with it."

Slowly, Link drew the blue ceramic instrument from the pouch at his side. After everything he had gone through, he expected it to be scratched, chipped, even broken, but its surface was as perfect and unblemished as it had been when he first laid eyes on it seven years previously. He stared at it, unmoving, unable to move.

"Peace has returned to Hyrule," Zelda said, her voice beginning to quaver, more tears streaming freely from her eyes. "It is time for us to say goodbye." She choked on the last word.

Link still stood motionless. Gradually, his eyes shifted from the gleaming ocarina in his hand to the face of the girl before him.

"Give it to me, Link!" she cried. "You have to go home. Regain your lost time… Home, where you are supposed to be… The way you are supposed to be… Link, please! Don't make it harder… than…"

"No." It was the first word he had spoken since the fight ended. It felt like the first word he had spoken in his entire life. He drew his hand back and slipped the ocarina once more into his pouch.

"Link…!"

"Princess… No, Zelda…" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He felt overwhelmed by emotion. He had never known he could feel anything so strongly before. "Zelda, after everything that's happened… Everything I've seen, everything we've been through together… I don't belong in that time anymore. The innocence of youth cannot be regained." Tears began to form in his own eyes; it took every ounce of his concentration to keep his voice calm and level. "If I go back now, I will never be at peace. I will be doomed to live the rest of my life haunted by memories of events that never happened. I will remember good friends whom I've never met. Even if I meet them again, I will have fond memories which they will not share. It would be too painful…" He opened his eyes at last, and his gaze met hers. "Zelda, please… Don't send me back. I want to stay here. I want to stay the person I've become. I want to build a new world, together with you. I belong not in the past, but the future."

"Oh, Link…" The sky began to darken around them. The clouds grew thick and black; thunder rumbled in the distance. The princess appeared transformed once again; her dress was black, her skin grey, her eyes filled with strange light. The tears were gone from her cheeks. Her mouth spread into a thin smile which seemed eerily out of place. Otherworldly tones crept into her voice. "You foolish boy. Can't you see I don't want you here?" She stepped towards him, her footfalls accompanied by thunderclaps as rain and lightning poured down, up, from every direction.

Link felt his legs fail. He fell back onto the unseen ground, blood streaming from the injuries that had reappeared all over his person. Zelda raised the ocarina to her lips as she strode forward. Shocked, Link reached for the pouch on his belt. How…? The familiar melody enveloped him, made somehow haunting, surreal, horrifying. "No," he whispered. "No! Please…"

"ZELDA!"

Link jolted awake, startled by his own screams. He glanced about him wildly. Wooden rafters… chest of drawers… door… He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, then began to take more deliberate stock of his surroundings.

He seemed to be in a small room, likely part of a cottage. A simple wooden wardrobe stood in one corner, accompanied by the drawers he had glimpsed in his earlier panic. Wooden rafters were suspended barely more than six feet off the ground; red clay shingles could be seen above them. A few portraits of an unfamiliar family hung from the off-white plaster walls. Link himself was lying on a straw bed, the covers kicked off the end. The adult frame which he had grown accustomed to in the weeks following his arrival in the future was covered in bandages.

His adult frame.

He was still an adult. So… A dream? He hadn't been sent back after all?

The door burst open as Zelda ran into the room, wearing the simple dress of a townsperson. She appeared neither as angelic nor as terrible as she had seemed following Link's collapse atop Ganon's tower. This was her earthly form, her true form. This was reality.

"Link!" she cried, rushing to his bedside. She pulled the covers back over him, then sat down in a nearby chair.

"Princess?"

"Thank the goddesses you're awake. You've been out for days."

"Days…" Link became suddenly aware of the tension in his body and allowed himself to relax into the mattress. "Ganon…?"

"Ganondorf is gone, Link. You defeated him."

Link closed his eyes and sighed. Zelda turned her head to stare through the window into the distance.

"It was a great victory for Hyrule," she continued, "But it was not the end of its troubles. Ganondorf left more scars on this land than ruined buildings and charred fields." She turned back towards the weary young man, her face a mixture of concern and determination. "The battle is over, but the Hero's work has just begun. The people need a symbol. We need you still, Link."

"I understand," he replied. His eyes remained closed, but the slightest line appeared in his brow. "Princess, I will serve you however I am able. I shall be whatever you need me to be."

"I'll be counting on you. For now, you should rest." Zelda stood up and quietly left the room. Link rolled onto his side, but sleep eluded him.

One week later, the sun shone brightly on the ruins of the castle market square as hundreds of Hylrulean citizens filed into a makeshift auditorium. While the palace had been reduced to rubble upon Ganondorf's accession, the square had escaped relatively unscathed; nonetheless, it had taken a considerable effort to prepare it for this occasion, and it would be some time yet before the shops would be ready to reopen.

The murmur of conversation died down respectfully as six armored heralds marched onto the dais and spread out into a triangular formation. They raised their trumpets and projected a solemn fanfare as the Princess Zelda emerged from behind them and approached the podium, clad simply but elegantly in a silk dress and a royal purple cloak. Her mother's wardrobe, along with all of her possessions save the few small keepsakes she had been able to carry when her guardian, Impa, whisked her away as a child, had of course been destroyed with the palace; although Zelda herself was content with the clothing she had borrowed from the villagers who had given her and Link shelter, she knew that her people's morale required that their princess look the part, and the local seamstresses had been only too happy to provide what they could despite the short notice.

"Citizens of Hyrule," she began. "I have not come before you to deceive you. Our nation is in grave peril. The tyrant Ganondorf has left us weak. Our homes were destroyed. Our crops were razed. Our army was decimated. Our king… my father… was brutally murdered.

"But this is not the end! This kingdom has endured for centuries! We have survived war, from within and from without. We have survived famine. We have survived drought, and plague, and all manner of catastrophe. And always, we have emerged with our heads held high, and we have prospered!

"I know that I can count on each and every one of you to put forth your best effort in the name of our great country. Together, we will build a new Hyrule. Together, we can ensure that our banner will wave until the end of time! We can ensure that should our neighbors come seeking an easy kill, they will find not the weakness they expect, but the strength of a united people!"

A great cheer went up from the crowd as the citizens jumped to their feet. Someone, somewhere, began a chant which soon swept the throng: Long live Hyrule! Long live Zelda!

The princess raised her hand, and the noise slowly receded. "Even as we look to a bright new future, we must not forget what has come before. Hyrulians, I present to you your savior."

Link emerged from behind the heralds, a ceremonial breastplate covering his roughly-patched green tunic. He stepped solemnly to Zelda's side, drew the Master Sword from its sheath on his back, and rested his hands on its pommel as he knelt.

"Link, Hero of Time," Zelda said, closing her eyes and laying a gloved hand on his shoulder, "In recognition of your bravery and dedication, I hereby dub thee a Knight of Hyrule and Captain of my royal guard. Arise, Sir Link!"

Link stood up and faced the gathered citizens, transferring his sword to his left hand. "Hyrulians!" he shouted. "Though we are finally at peace, we must be prepared to defend our land and our princess. We cannot allow recent events to repeat themselves." He raised the Master Sword over his head, pointing its gleaming blade straight up. "Who will stand with me? Who among you has the courage to place your life on the line for your country?"

The brevity of his speech caught the audience off guard; a quiet murmur filled the square. At last, a young man of about Link's own age stood up.

"I will stand with you!" the man declared. "I want to ensure that no one can ever pose a threat to Hyrule again!"

Zelda's eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second, but Link sheathed his sword and carried on unperturbed. "What is your name, brave one?"

"Tyrell, Sir Link."

"Come up here, Tyrell."

The young man strode forward and took his place beside the hero. Link laid a hand on his shoulder. "You shall be my first lieutenant," he said. "Together we will forge an elite force to rival any in the world." He turned back towards the crowd. "Will no one else follow this man's example?"

There was a brief silence, but the first volunteer had broken the ice. Gradually, a dozen or so men and women of varying ages stood up and joined the figures on the dais.

Zelda stepped forward and braced her hands against the top of the podium. "We are grateful for your brave service," she said, bowing her head respectfully. After a moment she turned towards the crowd and resumed speaking.

The door to Link's room closed behind Zelda as the two of them at last retreated from the public eye. The day had been, in her estimation, a rousing success; though poor and downtrodden, her citizens had regained their spirit. She had already begun planning her next move when a single word from Link snapped her back to the present.

"Help."

Realization crossing her face, the princess rushed to Link's side and hurriedly removed the heavy armor from his torso. He collapsed onto the straw bed, cringing. Dark blood had seeped through his tunic in several places.

"You did well, Link," she said, propping the pillows beneath his head. "I'm proud of you." She left the room to fetch some fresh bandages.


	2. One Year Later

**Chapter 2: One Year Later**

The Gerudo warrior Natalia ducked down a side street, her long red ponytail streaming behind her; the bare flesh of her foot skidded painfully across the cobblestones as she turned the corner at nearly full speed. She momentarily regretted having kicked off her sandals, but in the long run they would have only slowed her down. The two Hyrulian guards chasing her were already falling behind. Even without their cumbersome armor, Natalia doubted they had the strength or endurance to keep up with her for long. She was more concerned with the possibility of being cut off by more guards lurking in the evening shadows ahead.

Even as the thought crossed her mind, a third and fourth knight lunged into her path. Almost by reflex, Natalia leaped into the air and braced her arms atop the closer man's shoulders, flipping over his head with a soft grunt and landing a bit too heavily on her right leg. She quavered for a moment, but soon took off again, careening down another alleyway.

It was a bad move. The alleyway led directly to an open space, and a hail of arrows flew at her from the other end. She barely ducked one; another grazed her face; she jumped as two more sailed past her feet. Spinning around, she pulled three kunai from her belt and released them in one smooth motion. Two of them glanced harmlessly off an archer's breastplate; a cry rang out as the third pierced someone's hand. Natalia had finally reached relative cover when an arrow stuck through her shoulder. Muffling her own pained gasp, she rounded another corner…

… And ran straight into a pair of guards, their swords leveled at her throat. Desperately she lurched backwards, only to fall into the waiting arms of another knight who had appeared behind her. She reached for the long knife at her side, but, fatigued as she was, the soldiers were faster. Her forearm flew off with a quick spray of blood, and Natalia sank to her knees. The guard who had struck brought his blade around for another blow, but there was no need; her injuries had finally caught up to her, and she slumped forwards onto her remaining hand, panting.

"Why do you hesitate?" A strong voice rang out from the darkness. The three soldiers snapped to attention. Tyrell, First Lieutenant of the Royal Guard, strode into the light. "We have an enemy spy in our midst. Finish her."

"Sir!" replied the man with the bloodied sword. "I thought, sir, that we should take her alive, if possible. An interrogation–"

"An interrogation would get us nowhere. Isn't that right, my dear?" He reached down and lifted the Gerudo's chin, staring contemptuously into her amber eyes.

The cold metal gauntlet stung Natalia's face as she mustered the last of her strength. "I will give you nothing," she spat.

"Well then, that settles that." Tyrell smirked. "Kill her."

"Sir, I…"

The imposing First Lieutenant turned his fierce gaze on the quivering soldier. The other two were averting their faces sheepishly, hoping not to be drawn in. "You what?" Tyrell's voice took on a calm, surprisingly gentle tone. "Surely you don't sympathize with her? She's the enemy. It was her kind that nearly wiped out our people eight years ago. And now, just as we have begun to rebuild our nation, they send spies to infiltrate us. And the only scum lower than them…" he paused; his voice at last turned cold. "…are the weaklings who don't have the guts to keep Hyrule safe. Don't you agree?" he finished sweetly.

The soldier gulped and stepped forward. He raised his sword.

In her final moments of terror, Natalia remained fiercely impassive. The soldiers flinched.

"The Gerudo are clearly preparing for war," Tyrell concluded, addressing the Princess Zelda in her temporary throne room the next morning.

"We can't know that for sure," Link replied from his position behind Zelda's right shoulder. "If you had taken the intruder alive…"

"The spy's death could not be avoided. She was dangerous."

"Even if that's true, the actions of a single individual cannot be assumed to represent her entire people!"

"Perhaps not. But in our weakened state, we must prepare for the worst. Wouldn't you agree, Princess?"

"You do have a point, Lieutenant," she replied pensively. "However, the actions you suggest would undoubtedly provoke a conflict if your interpretation of these events is mistaken. A conflict which Hyrule can scarce afford."

"The Gerudo are our worst enemy! Can Hyrule afford to be caught unprepared when they do strike? Stationing a permanent garrison at the edge of the desert is the least action that could be considered prudent. We should be sending spies of our own. Their king is dead at our hands; those vermin would be only too happy to see you join him."

Link opened his mouth to speak, but Zelda restrained him. "Ganondorf is not dead," she corrected calmly. "He may have been evil, but do you truly believe his goals were wholly unjustified? The Gerudo tribe has fought for survival in the desert for centuries while we largely ignored them, taking the comforts of our own land for granted. It took the desperate act of a madman for us to take any real notice of them at all. If anything, we must work to repair the relationship between our two nations. We must show that we do not hold them responsible for one man's sins."

"One man? Ganondorf was the Gerudo! They worshipped him like a god!"

"Not all of them," Link interjected. "And we must consider the influence of those witches, Koume and Kotake. If they could make a slave out of Nabooru, Ganondorf's staunchest opponent, there's no telling how they could have affected the general population."

Tyrell closed his eyes and sighed. "I can see that you will not be convinced. But news of the spy is already spreading across Hyrule. The people are afraid. They will demand action. I only hope you will listen to them before it is too late." He bowed slightly, then turned and walked out.

Zelda leaned against the arm of her throne, allowing her head to rest on her hand. "He is right about one thing. The people will be afraid. In the wake of Ganondorf's attack, it's miraculous that we haven't seen the eruption of anti-Gerudo paranoia already." She sighed wearily. "It may not be possible to assuage them. Combating fear with reason is a formidable task."

"Surely, they must understand," Link said. "The Gerudo are no different from us. Were we in their circumstances…"

"But they can't understand. They can never understand. They are so used to seeing the Gerudo as a threat… To the citizens of Hyrule, the Gerudo are not people. They are monsters. Things. My subjects will never be able to comprehend the feelings of the Gerudo, because they will never recognize the Gerudo as having feelings other than pure, baseless hatred."

Link placed his hand on her shoulder and turned his head, staring off into space. "We have to try."

The worst came to pass far sooner than either of them anticipated. That very night, a mob gathered in the field outside Hyrule Castle Town. Blood was on its collective mind. Someone had sparked the idea that the people of Hyrule had to take their safety into their own hands, and it had spread like wildfire.

Torchlight gleamed off the polished steel breastplate which had become a regular part of Link's attire as he stood facing the inconsistently armed villagers. The few members of the royal guard he had been able to find watched nervously from the sidelines, uncertain what to do. Tyrell was conspicuously absent.

Link solemnly drew the Master Sword from its sheath, and a great cheer arose from the mob. But rather than leading them gloriously into battle, the people watched in shocked silence as their hero plunged its point into the earth beside him.

"People of Hyrule!" he bellowed. "Think about what you are doing! You stand here contemplating the genocide of an entire race. The murder of countless innocents! Of Children! Are you really prepared to destroy them? To become no better than Ganondorf himself? That is not who we are!"

The crowd was silent. For a moment, they questioned their intentions. For a moment, they might have been convinced.

"He's one of them!" a single voice cried out, and the spell was broken. Murmurings flared up. Link was a sympathizer. Hadn't he always spoken in defense of the Gerudo? But he also defeated Ganondorf. A trick, perhaps? A lie to gain their trust?

"We can't listen to him! This fool would defend those desert rats even as they swallowed us whole!" someone shouted, scooping up a pebble and flinging it at the lone figure before them.

The pebble rebounded off Link's breastplate with a metallic ring. The guards shifted uncertainly. One gripped the hilt of his sword. But Link closed his eyes and spread his arms silently as a second stone sailed at him, followed by another, and another. Cuts opened up on his face, his arms, his legs. Dents and gouges appeared in his light armor as a barrage of rubble rained down on him. A large rock hit him in the center of his chest and he staggered back, but still he held his ground. Blood trickled from the gashes which now covered the exposed portions of his body, stinging his eyes, soaking his tunic, staining the earth beneath him.

Link felt his right humerus shatter.

The assault lasted only a few minutes, but it may as well have been an eternity. Finally, the mob had their fill of violence and began to disperse, their anger spent. Finally, Link sank to his knees. He swayed. He collapsed, his arm draped at an unnatural angle.

Zelda burst into the healer's chambers, out of breath. Link's eyes slowly opened, but only a sliver. His breathing was labored and raspy.

"Zel… da…" he gasped. "The mob… Tyrell…"

"Yes," she replied. "I believe you're right."

"Stop… him… the… ocarina…"

Zelda shook her head. "The Ocarina of Time can only return you to the moment at which you first drew the Master Sword eight years ago. Returning the sword to its pedestal would produce the same effect. There's too much potential for disaster. Over a span of eight years, even the slightest change in events could cause catastrophic shifts in our timeline. They could make things better… but they could also make them much worse." She sighed. "And what's worse, we would only have one shot. The events which are most likely to bring about the change we want don't occur until near the end of our time window, one year ago. Once you've lived out your lost time, it will no longer be possible for you to return to the past. If we mess up… there's no going back to the way things are now."

"Then what… can… we do?"

"Our options are very limited. Both Tyrell's hatred for the Gerudo and his influence with the people of Hyrule are now clear. Even your fame couldn't stand up to the paranoia he's induced. I doubt we could defeat him in a direct contest of public opinion. Not right now, anyway. Our only hope…"

Link's eyes had closed, and the princess could tell that her words were no longer getting through to him. "Rest, Hero," she said, a single tear escaping the corner of her eye. "Goddesses know you deserve it."

The Master Sword remained planted in the earth at the outskirts of town where Link had left it, unmovable by any other hand. A garrison was stationed at the border of Gerudo Desert, blockading traffic in either direction. Tyrell had insisted that Zelda present it to the people as her own idea, and it was very well received.

As the years went on, and unpleasant memories grew dim, it passed into legend that the Hero of Time, having slain the evil Lord Ganondorf, had vanished from the present world and returned to the era of his youth.


	3. Child of Fate

**Chapter 3: Child of Fate**

Mei sat at the edge of the moat surrounding Hyrule Castle Town, watching the other children playing in the field. She had long since given up on trying to join them. One look at her scarlet hair and most children instantly scorned her for her resemblance to "desert rats." Adults were kinder with their words, but she could see the same thoughts reflected in their eyes. Mei found self-imposed isolation the better alternative.

Mei had been born on the very day of Ganondorf's defeat. She wasn't quite an orphan, but she may as well have been. She had never known her mother, and her father wasn't around much. He did provide a roof for her to live under, at least. She didn't know it, but today was her ninth birthday.

She looked around her, enjoying the beauty of the day and the landscape as best she could. The sky was largely clear, with only a few friendly-looking clouds floating lazily past the warm sun. In the distance, a hill sloped gently upward to meet the horizon, crested by an aging and barely-visible farmhouse. Nearer at hand, several new houses were in varying stages of construction; the village was being expanded and a new wall was poised to be built to contain the booming population of the recovering nation. Just a few feet away, a crusty old sword stuck out of the earth, wrapped in ivy. Mei had often wondered why no one had ever moved it. It had been there as long as she could remember.

The sun was beginning to set, tingeing the sky with hues of pink and lavender. The clouds seemed to glow with reflected light. Mei stood up and started home, crossing the short drawbridge into the old part of town. But instead of turning down her street, she paused, and then continued on. She couldn't explain it; some feeling within her was compelling her to keep going. She had never felt anything like it before. Or had she? She thought back to this day last year, and the year before that. Each time, she had felt… something. But it had never been so strong. Before, it was just a twinge, a nagging at the back of her mind that went away after a few minutes. This was different.

She walked on, navigating the twisting streets of Hyrule Castle Town, taking hidden ways which only the friendless ever seem to find, because only the friendless ever need them. The urge to continue grew ever stronger, tugging at her heart, leading her forwards. She began to move almost automatically, scarcely even knowing where she was going. After what seemed simultaneously like hours and mere seconds, she found herself at an opening in the ground past the far edge of town which she had never seen before. Mei wondered how she had gotten there.

The feeling which had blindly led her to this spot had not stopped. It was raging within her now, tearing at her chest. "Go on," it seemed to say. "Drop down into the hole."

Mei lowered herself gently through the opening and found herself facing a wooden door, cloaked in shadow yet still just barely visible. She pushed it open.

Beyond it, she was amazed to discover a passageway, not rough-hewn or natural, but carefully refined. Torches blazed brightly in sconces every few feet. There was no question in Mei's mind; this passageway was meant to be found, and it was meant to be found today, right now, by her.

Mei started down the tunnel. The walls had been ornately tiled, depicting gods and demons and creatures of legend, colorful knights riding bareback on enormous birds, a man clad all in green, and, most prominently, three golden triangles arranged point to point. This last design reminded her of the crest of Hyrule, where it appeared as the head of a stylized bird with wings spread across a rising sun.

The passageway ended in with a slightly angled wall, handholds carved like a ladder into its surface. The young girl climbed, barely noticing the strain, her mind focused only on the inexplicable goal to carry forth. At the top, a trapdoor opened into a large dimly-lit chamber. A tall figure draped in a dark robe stood at the far side, gazing out a window.

"Welcome, child," said the figure, its voice soft, motherly, yet infused with an essence of elegance and nobility. "You have done well to come here. I have been expecting you." The figure turned around and stepped sideways; behind it was a low table decked with an ornately-flowered china tea set. The figure drew back its hood, revealing the face of a young woman in her mid-twenties, framed by long blonde hair, the front locks of which had a golden ribbon wrapped through them. A simple tiara set with sapphires adorned her head. "Do you know who I am?"

"Of course, m'lady," Mei replied, curtsying. "You are Her Highness, the Princess Zelda, descendent of the Royal Family and Heir to the Throne of Hyrule."

"Such excellent manners," the princess said. "Come and sit at my table. What is your name, child?"

"I am called Mei, Your Highness." The princess sat, and Mei took the chair opposite her.

"Mei," Zelda repeated. "It is a very fitting name." She sipped her tea delicately; Mei followed suit. "Mei," the princess said again. "In coming here, you have answered the call of destiny."

Tea sprayed from the girl's mouth while more spilled down her trachea. She coughed wildly, her eyes wide in a mixture of surprise and discomfort. "Destiny?!" she said once her diaphragm was under control. "What the hell are you talking about, lady?" No sooner had the words left her lips than she blushed in terror and cast her eyes to the floor, mumbling an apology.

The princess chuckled warmly. "You are wise to be skeptical, dear child," she said. "But there is more to this world than can be seen with unaided eyes." As she spoke, she slid a thin box across the table. Inside, Mei found a pendant encased in velvet, with a rounded stone which appeared to be made of polished amethyst. "Did you not feel my summons?" Zelda asked.

"That was you?"

"Yes. Every year on the anniversary of Hyrule's liberation, I have reached out with my mind, seeking a brave spirit with the strength to aid me in my time of need. Each time I felt a flicker, a promise of virtue still in its infancy. It seems at last that you are ready."

"Princess… With all respect, Your Highness, I think you must be mistaken. I'm just a little girl. I'm only… I don't even know how old I am. I can't possibly help you. I'm not strong. I'm nothing." A tremor crept into her voice. "Nothing at all."

"The Hero of Time," Zelda said, pausing momentarily for emphasis, "was not much older than you when he took up his mantle. You know the tale, surely?"

Mei nodded quietly. Of course she had heard of the mysterious fairy boy who supposedly travelled through time to rid Hyrule of the tyrant Ganondorf. Her schoolteachers could hardly stop her from listening to their lessons, after all, even if most people wouldn't give her the time of day. But that was the stuff of legends. Myths. Bedtime stories. It couldn't possibly be real. She said so.

"Certainly, the legends have been embellished," the princess replied. "And he was never returned to his youth. That part was a fiction, thought up by those who could not bear the shame of what they had done to him. The shame of having killed their savior because he no longer suited their whims. But he was real." She sighed. "He was… my very dear friend. It was he who placed the sword in the ground outside the old town wall. If you doubt my words, just try and pull it from its resting place. Only he, the one person in all the world who has proven the purity of his heart, can lift that sword. And… This was his, also." She took a simple blue earring from her left ear and placed it in Mei's hand. Mei hadn't even noticed it before. "This earring was presented to the Hero by the sage Impa," Zelda explained. "It was a traditional rite of passage among the Shiekah tribe. It seems appropriate that you should have it now."

Mei contemplated the earring as she held it. It felt surprisingly heavy in her hands. It seemed to give off a sort of aura, a feeling which seemed to ring true with everything the princess had been saying. It was as though the ring was speaking to her. Mei put the earring through her own left ear, gasping at the sharp pain as it pierced her flesh. Whether the effect was purely psychological, or the result of some essence left over by the ring's original wearer, Mei couldn't decide, but she instantly felt braver, more capable.

"It may not seem it, but Hyrule is in grave peril," the princess said. "It is no longer in harmony with the rest of the world." She explained in detail about Tyrell: how he had played on the citizen's fears to gradually usurp her power, how he had led Hyrule down a path of paranoia and self-proclaimed supremacy. "Our land was once rich and multicultural, a home to all who sought peace. Tyrell has seen an end to that. I pray that together, we can restore it to its former legacy. If you help me, I suspect you may learn something about your mother, as well."

Mei perked up at this. "My mother?"

"I sense that your lineage is deeply entangled with the fate of this land. I am certain that the journey you take in restoring Hyrule's future will, by necessity, involve more personal affairs as well."

"What must I do?" the girl asked.

"You must travel," the princess replied, picking up the amethyst pendant and slipping it around Mei's neck. "The length and breadth of the country, and beyond. Beyond that, there is little guidance I can give you. You must discover your own path. I expect, however, that the forest of the Kokiri will be a good place to start. It was there that the Hero was raised, and it was there that his own journey began."

The princess stood up. "There is one last thing I can do to help you on your way," she said. "The world is a big place, and some of the more remote stretches are still home to creatures of darkness. It's dangerous to go alone. Take this with you." She drew a long knife from her robe and presented Mei with the hilt. The girl took it. It was like a sword in her small hands.

"Farewell, child," Zelda said, placing a hand on Mei's shoulder. "Someday, we shall meet again. May the goddesses be with you in your quest."

Mei bowed low, then turned and scampered off through the trapdoor and into the passageway below. After she had gone, a shadow moved in the darkness at the other end of the chamber.

"The plan is finally in motion," the princess said, still facing the trapdoor. "Everything rests in the hands of that little girl."

"She will succeed," the shadow whispered. "I have faith in her. You might say she reminds me of someone."

"I feel the same," she replied. "But still, it is so much to ask of one so young…"

"You asked no less of yourself when you were her age."

"Be that as it may, the weight of the world is a heavy burden for even the strongest shoulders. This is our only hope of breaking Tyrell's chokehold… I just pray we're doing the right thing."


	4. Chapter 4: Forest of the Gods

**Chapter 4: Forest of the Gods**

Night was falling as Mei reached the edge of the Kokiri Forest. After leaving her rendezvous with the princess, Mei had returned home to sleep and to gather a few meager provisions: a loaf of bread, a glass bottle full of water, the least-smelly wedge of cheese she could find, a simple handmade slingshot, and an old charm bracelet which her father had said belonged to her mother. The bracelet was made of colored wooden beads arranged in a pattern, with a silver or gold charm spaced every few beads. The largest charm was engraved with an odd symbol, a roughly diamond field interrupted by a wrench-like shape with circles inside the claws at each end. Mei knew the bracelet would be of no practical value to her on her journey, and might even get in her way, but she didn't feel right about leaving home without taking something which carried the memory of the mother she had only ever imagined.

Mei had set out early the next morning, making her way through the long grasses of Hyrule field towards its southern end, beyond the aging ranch on the hilltop which had been barely visible in the distance when she had sat at the edge of town the day before. She told herself that she would have said goodbye to her father had he been there, but really she wasn't too sure. She couldn't decide whether he would have forbad her go or shrugged her off dismissively had she told him her plans, and she was just as glad not to have to find out.

Mei stopped, contemplating the still darkness of the woods before her. They were quite intimidating. Even so, she wasn't thrilled about sleeping out in the open either, and she couldn't just sit awake at the edge of the woods all night. Entering the forest seemed the only viable option, and, taking a deep breath, that's what she did.

It didn't take long for her to regret the decision. It was even darker under the shade of the trees than she had thought standing in the twilit field. Mei could barely see the trees in front of her in time to keep from running into them, and roots and ferns underfoot caused her to stumble frequently. She wished she had thought to bring a lantern. Then again, the light would only broadcast her position to the billions of predatory creatures which she was certain were lurking all around her, just out of sight. Not that she was moving especially stealthily anyways.

She stepped on a twig, and the sound was deafening in the relative silence of the forest, much louder to her ears than the general shuffling and stumbling which the young girl had caused thus far. She froze, breathing hesitantly, listening intently, her eyes shifting rapidly back and forth. It may have been her imagination, but she felt certain she was being watched.

Mei gulped and drew her sword. "W-Who's there?" she shrieked, doing her best to keep her voice from shaking. She spun around at the sound of a light cough behind her, sword arm outstretched.

The boy leaned back a few degrees, the point of Mei's blade missing his throat by an inch. "Careful, there," he said calmly. "Nice knife."

"Who are you? I'm armed!" Mei warned superfluously.

"I can see that," the boy replied. "Sorry I didn't announce myself sooner. I'm Mido." His youthful face and short orange hair were suddenly illuminated as a fairy fluttered down from the foliage and hovered by his shoulder, her tiny body glowing so brightly it could barely be seen, giving her the appearance of an orb of light with wings. "And this is Fay." The sylph bobbed in the air as though curtsying.

"Were… Were you following me?"

"Well, it wasn't exactly hard. You're loud _and_ you smell."

Mei blushed, unslung the pack from her shoulder, fished out the wedge of cheese, and chucked it into the woods. It bounced off an unseen tree trunk and tumbled back towards her obstinately. She kicked it. Mido giggled softly; Mei glared at him, her face still nearly as red as her hair.

"Sorry," he said. "I followed you out of concern. The Lost Woods are a dangerous place, even in broad daylight. And even for someone with such a… fiery temper," he finished, eyeing the remains of the cheese wedge scattered in the dirt.

"I-I'm not afraid," Mei lied. She knew the stories. Children went into the Lost Woods, never to come out again. Some even said they died and became mischievous spirits, waiting to prank unwary travelers. Or worse, lead them astray and trap them, too. That wasn't where she had meant to be going at all.

"Sure," Mido said, seeming to accept her claim. "But why don't you follow me? You can spend the night in the Kokiri village, and if you really want to go into the Lost Woods, you can do it in the morning when it's slightly less of a death sentence."

Mei and Mido set off through the forest, angling away from Mei's haphazard path. Fay lit the way. "Of course, I can see in the dark just fine," Mido explained.

"So… You're a Kokiri?" Mei asked after a while.

"Yes, and not just any Kokiri. I'm their leader!" He drew himself up into a mock grandiose pose.

"Are you the oldest, then?"

"The what?"

"The oldest."

"I'm not following you." Mido looked at the girl quizzically.

"Never mind." They walked the rest of the way in silence.

The darkness lightened up a little as the pair emerged into a vast moonlit clearing, the dim outlines of simple huts breaking up the endless wall of trees beyond. The air was still, peaceful; a sense of timelessness hung over the little village.

"You can use my bed for tonight," Mido said, leading the way to a hut near the far edge. "I'm on watch anyways. I would say to try not to wake my sister, but… Well, she _is_ a Kokiri."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mei pouted mockingly.

Mido pointed to his ear. "I can hear your heartbeat." He started off back into the woods, Fay dimming her glow as she hovered over his head. "Take care now. Don't wander off before morning."

Mei opened the door and stepped inside the hut. As she did so, the room within lit up with the glow of another fairy, revealing a girl with long blonde hair tied into twin orbs behind her ears, wearing the same style of green tunic as Mido.

"Hello," said the girl. "I'm Fado."

"Hi," Mei replied, taken aback. "I'm not breaking in, I swear…"

"I know." Fado grinned. "I heard you talking with Brother."

Mei found herself staring at the girl's hair. "If you're Mido's sister… And he's your brother… Then how…?"

Fado looked confused. "How what?"

"You're hair, it's… different."

"Yes, and?"

"It's just so… Well… What do your parents look like?"

"My what?"

"Your parents."

"I'm not following you."

"You must have had parents," Mei insisted. "Otherwise, where would you have come from? Although I suppose they must not be around, if Mido is the leader…" Realization struck her. "Wait, are you orphans? Are all of you Kokiri… Orphans?"

"What's an orphan?" Fado seemed completely lost. "I didn't come from anywhere. I've always been here." She chuckled softly to herself. "Boy, you outsiders sure are strange. First there was that no-fairy boy, and now a no-fairy girl… And such weird clothes, too." She glanced up and down Mei's simple garb: a sky-blue vest which almost matched the earring looped through her left ear, brown leggings which stopped at mid-calf, and muddied leather moccasins, with a bulging canvas sack strapped to her back.

Mei decided to ignore the comment on her attire. "No-fairy boy?"

"Yeah, there was a boy here a while back who didn't have a fairy. Blond hair, decent dress sense, lived in a treehouse. Then one day Navi took pity on him or something and then he up and left. But that was ancient history. Back before the old Deku Tree died." Fado frowned. "Come to think of it, I think he had something to do with that. What was his name again? Larry? Luke? Liam? I swear it started with an L-sound…"

Mei's head swam with the combination of fatigue and unfamiliar nouns. "I think I should get some sleep."

"Whatever you say, Outsider." Fado stood up and moved towards a door. "This is my room over here. You can sleep in Mido's room. It's that one." She pointed at the only other door in the hut.

"Thanks," Mei said, keeping the sarcasm in her voice to a minimum.

The next morning, the forest was transformed. At night it had been a labyrinth of shadows, haunted as effectively by creeping vegetation as any spirit, death lurking behind every tree branch. Now, it was paradise. Sunlight filtered through the verdant canopy, casting shifting white streaks through the air, illuminating the ground in complex patterns of inimitable beauty. Every leaf and blade of grass seemed to glow with life and vitality; the air was thick with the sense of arrested time.

"Good morning, Flaming Hair," Mido called from behind her as Mei stepped out of the hut. She turned around to see him perched on the roof, his fairy companion flitting about his head.

"My name is Mei," she answered, flushing slightly.

"Well, Mei," Mido replied, sliding down the roof of the hut and dropping to the ground. "Are you still set on traversing the Lost Woods?"

"That was an accident," she admitted, averting her eyes. "Actually, I don't know what I'm looking for. Except… well, guidance. I'm on a great journey, only… I don't know where I'm supposed to go."

"Guidance, huh? I know just the guy. Come on, follow me." Mido struck off through the woods, Mei struggling to keep up with his stride. He seemed to walk over the underbrush rather than through it, his every step light and easy.

They walked for some ways, though Mei could not say how long; it was impossible to keep track. Hours felt like seconds, or perhaps it was the other way around. The girl would have tired quickly, moving as she was without the Kokiri boy's grace, but for the distracting wonder of the forest about them. It was unlike any wood she had ever seen. The trees seemed somehow more real, and at the same time more abstract; she could not tell one trunk from another, yet every twig was profoundly beautiful, every drop of dew a shining diamond. The feeling of power which hung about the two small figures intensified with every step, an awesome pressure building and building as they approached its root.

At last they arrived at a clearing, emerging to face the largest tree Mei had ever seen. It towered above the rest of the forest, its crown lost to the eye, its trunk easily a mile around at the base.

It was dead.

Mei laid a hand on the massive trunk. Its bark was dry and brittle, and flaked off at her touch, revealing rotted wood beneath. The tremendous branches stood in ruin, the few leaves still clinging to it curled and brown. She could just make out the outline of a face set in the trunk, its features grown over by moss and fungi.

"Welcome, child." An ancient, sonorous voice filled Mei's ears, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, sounding as much like the wind in the leaves as it did like human speech. She spun around in shock, eyes darting left and right as she searched for the speaker. Mido chuckled softly to himself.

"This way," he said, placing a hand on Mei's shoulder and turning her to face a young sapling which had taken root a few feet from the towering giant. Mei started when she saw that it, too, seemed to have features carved into its trunk, only… this face was moving.

"I am the Great Deku Tree, guardian of the forest and all who dwell within," the sapling's slow, sighing voice intoned. "Though my form is young, my spirit is aged as the world itself. Regrettably, I was forced to leave much of my power behind along with my original body." The sapling waved as though blown by an unfelt wind, gesturing towards the colossal husk. "Still, what I have left is enough to see to the needs of my children."

Mei dropped to her knees. If the aura she had been feeling all this time was produced by but a fraction of this being's former power…

"My name is Mei, Great One," she sputtered. "I come seeking… that is, I have come to ask for the benefit of your wisdom." She bowed her head. "Please, Spirit, guide me in my quest."

She explained everything; the princess's mystical summons, the dark path forged by the usurper Tyrell, the vagueness of her goal. When she had finished, the sapling shifted as though stretching, then let out a thoughtful sigh.

"Mei… A fitting name indeed. Truly, it must be fate which has brought you on this path." This was the second time Mei had heard such a sentiment, and it only confused her all the more this time. What was the old tree talking about? Had she missed something about the simple name she'd had all her life?

"If you seek to turn the people of Hyrule against their new hero," the tree continued, "you must first find evidence of his intentions, or of past actions which have escaped the public eye. Only armed with such evidence can you hope to convince them of the truth."

"I suppose that seems obvious enough," Mei replied. "But how? I don't even know what I'm looking for!"

"When the truth is what you seek, often merely looking will suffice. The only question is where to start. The answer lies with Tyrell himself. What is the one thing you are certain he accomplished through underhanded means?"

"He… he forced the princess to approve a military camp outside the Gerudo Desert by staging a riot. He claimed it was as much to protect the Gerudo from the Hyruleans as the other way around," Mei answered slowly.

"Precisely. And if he truly had ulterior motives, if he manipulated events to achieve that specific outcome, the evidence will most likely lie in the very desert he sealed off."

"But it's just that, sealed!" the girl protested. "How am I supposed to get past all those guards?"

"How did you get past the guards in the castle when you met with the princess?"

"That was different. There was a hidden underground passage."

"Exactly. You got past the guards because the guards did not see you. Often, there are hidden ways to travel from place to place… And even when there are not, there exist in this world artifacts of great power, tools which will serve you to much the same effect."

"Where can I find these… tools?"

"Once, long ago, there lived a tribe which worshipped shadows… Perhaps you have heard of them. They were known as the Shiekah."

Mei thought back to the legends she had heard in school. "The Shiekah were the sworn guardians of the Royal Family," she said. "Appointed by the goddess Hylia herself at the founding of Hyrule. But… they vanished."

"Centuries past, when the location of the Triforce of the Gods was first discovered, greed swept the land. Wars were fought for control of the relic's power, the power to grant any wish the heart desired. Realizing this power was too great for any nation, or any person, to control, the Seven Sages united their strength to seal the Triforce in a pocket dimension, a fold of space and time cut off from the rest of the world: the Sacred Realm.

"But this did not put an end to the strife it caused. A sect within the Shiekah tribe became obsessed with the Triforce, and plotted to infiltrate the Sacred Realm to claim it, just as Ganondorf did sixteen years ago. Whether they intended to use it for themselves or turn it over to their king, none can say. The Hyrulean monarchy viewed the sect's actions as treasonous. They were branded as dark interlopers, and as punishment they were banished to an existence without light. What remained of the Shiekah continued to serve the kingdom faithfully, but there numbers were few, and with time they dwindled to nothing.

"The final generations of the Shiekah inhabited a village in the foothills surrounding Death Mountain, a village since given over to any who were in need of a new home, whatever the reason. The legacy of the Shiekah lingers there still. They were masters of illusion, wise in subjects and powers unknown to the common man; whatever secrets remain hidden in their final resting place hold your best hope of completing your mission."

Mei bowed low. "Great Spirit," she said, "truly I am in your debt. How can I ever repay your kindness?"

"The world as it stands now may soon become unsafe for my Kokiri," the tree replied. "What strength I have left may not be able to protect them from a Hyrule in turmoil. That you succeed in your quest and restore the peace of old is all that I could ask."

"One last thing," the ancient being said as Mei was preparing to depart. "The pendant about your neck. Whatever may happen, do not lose it. Wear it always. It may just help you find what you seek."

Mei bowed once again, conveying her thanks, then followed as Mido led her back through the forest.


End file.
